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Simon Smith: Yes on Amendment 72 and Issue 2H for a healthier community

Posted:
10/20/2016 07:35:35 PM MDT

This November, we have the opportunity to vote to improve the health of our communities.

Amendment 72 is a proposed increase in the state tobacco tax, raising the cost of a pack of cigarettes by $1.75. Simply put, smoking kills; it's the number one cause of preventable death in Colorado. We all pay for the harm caused by smoking; Colorado's related health-care costs are estimated at $1.9 billion a year. Each year Colorado kids smoke 7 million packs of cigarettes. Raising the cigarette tax is the most effective way to reduce smoking and keep more kids from starting to smoke.

In Boulder, 2H is a sugary-drink distributor tax designed to raise awareness and improve the health of our children and community. Sugary drinks are the single largest source of added sugar in our diet, directly contributing to the shocking rise in obesity, diabetes, and heart disease globally, nationally, and right here in Boulder. Drinking just one sugary drink per day increases a person's risk of type 2 diabetes by 25 percent, childhood obesity by 55 percent, and death from heart disease by 30 percent. One in three children born in the year 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes. For Latino and African-American children (disproportionately targeted by the soda industry) it's even worse: one in two.

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The World Health Organization recently published an article urging governments around the world to implement soda and sugary drink taxes, citing evidence of its effectiveness in reducing consumption.

Clinica Family Health provides medical, dental, and behavioral health services to thousands of people across our communities, regardless of ability to pay. We see the negative impact and cost of tobacco and sugary drink consumption every day. For the health of our community, Clinica proudly supports "Yes" on 72 and 2H. We urge you to do the same.

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